Need to monitor Home Ministry’s agencies: Star
Published on: Sunday, February 02, 2020
By: Sherell Jeffrey
KOTA KINABALU: Parti Solidariti Tanah Airku (Star Sabah) President Datuk Dr Jeffrey Kitingan proposed that a select committee at both national and state level be set up to address foreign labour and illegal immigrant matters, especially in Sabah.
He said the committee should be given the responsibility to protect the sovereignty of the State and the Constitution by having powers to make proposals, policies and management of foreign labours and illegal immigrants.
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“They should also monitor the activities of the Immigration Department as well as the Home Ministry, particularly the National Registration Department.
“Beyond that, I suggest that the State Government set up a Homeland Security Ministry for Sabah because this is a serious problem. Sabah has its own sovereignty, immigration powers and say on who is and who is not a citizen.
“We have many illegal immigrants in Sabah, we should have the Homeland Security Ministry, in addition to the select committee,” he told a media conference on issues concerning the nation’s internal security at his Sokid Villa in Bukit Padang, Saturday.
He said he will propose this at the Parliament and State Assembly sitting.
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On what he thinks of the Federal Government promise to safeguard security in Sabah, he said:
“We can say that the Malaysian Government has failed in honouring the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63), not just in the Agreement but failed even to implement what is in the Federal Constitution.
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“It’s as if our rights in the Federal Constitution, our rights in the MA63 do mean anything to the Federal Government.
When there is an agreement and one party fails to deliver, then you have the right to sit down and complain, and if your complaint is not heard, then you have the right to do other things.
“You know even married people can divorce, if not you live miserably till death. But we don’t want to reach that point, we want to see that we are happy and peaceful, but now we are not happy, our young people at looking at the future and feel that we are not safe anymore.”
He said some of Sabah’s young population have gone to Australia, to Korea, to Singapore and the peninsula because there are no jobs here.
“If the Sabah Temporary Pass (PSS) were to be passed, what would happen to our children? They will be competing with them (PSS holders) for jobs, services, education and economy. When there is no solution, then our people will see a bleak future.
“Not only are these people (immigrants) claiming Sabah to be theirs, but they are claiming by sheer numbers, perhaps one day they will be more than us and they don’t have to claim because they are already here and will take over, where will we go?” he said.
He said it was therefore necessary to set up a mechanism from policy, management to operation to address the issue, adding that it must involve all stakeholders and not just the Government alone because it is not only the Government’s but the nation’s problem.
He said the Government must conduct a deliberate operation to rid illegal immigrants similar to what Tan Sri Chong Kah Kiat did during his tenure as Sabah Chief Minister.
“Perhaps first give them (immigrants) amnesty and send them back for good. This should apply to all IMM13 holders, Kad Burung-Burung, Census Certificate and undocumented immigrants. Get the Indonesian and the Philippine authorities to join in the operation, after all we are all one Asean, no reason for them not to take part in the operation,” he said.
He said as for IMM13 holders, the war has ended and of course Sabahans want them to go back. “This is the first choice, but how about their children…even if you were to send them (IMM13 children) back, they may not know where their village is, who their neighbours are, they have lived here for 30 to 40 years, and so this group needs special consideration.
“I think they should be given the option because they are by operation of law eligible to be Malaysian citizens.
“As for the rest, they should be deported. Once we have cleaned up all the illegal immigrants, foreign labours can come in provided that they have valid passports and work passes.
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